Jul 232011
 
best wine blogger

Paso Robles Town Square

Over the past year, this wine blog has made numerous trips to Napa Valley and Sonoma. My son finished his winery internship at Rombauer Vineyards (Napa Valley) and needed to drive his pickup to Austin, TX so he could work crush and harvest with his friends at Solaro Estate Winery (Dripping Springs, TX). What could be better than winemaking in 100+ heat?

The 24 hour drive across the desert southwest is long and boring, so I generously offered (note sarcasm) to fly out to CA and drive back with him. The catch, you ask. Well, we just had to spend a couple of days exploring and of course drinking wine, in Paso Robles wine country. Neither of us had been to Paso so we weren’t sure what to expect. In the end we met some great people and innovative winemakers, had creative and delectable meals and best of all, drank some excellent wines. We will definitely be back for another visit.

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Jun 182011
 

As the sun came up on Monday morning, the real work, if you can call it that, for both Conch and Bacchus and Beery Wine Blog was about to begin. Conch was up and out the door shortly after 7AM to check in at Rombauer Vineyards for his first day of work and move into the intern housing.

For me, I spent part of the early morning catching up on work from my real job while waiting for Enterprise to bring a rent car from St. Helena. The week ahead was going to be busy with 15 winery or winemaker meetings over the next six days. This day however was light, two appointments with Sean Sullivan of Sullivan Vineyards and Sharon Harris of Rarecat and Common Dog Wines. Continue reading »

May 262011
 

I thought it might be interesting, if not self-indulgent, to share some personal experiences, insights and emotions  over the next few posts. We’re friends, right? That’s what friends do…we share…among other things. In addition, writing in this context gives you a peek, assuming you want a peek, into a week of wine blogging travel and first impressions of winery visits. Continue reading »